Building Sustainable Urban Settlements : Approaches and Case Studies in the Developing World

This fascinating book explores environmental, institutional, social and cultural aspects of sustainability in a variety of towns and cities in Asia, Africa, the Middle East and Central and South America. The contributors focus particularly on meeting the needs of the urban poor. The main themes are:urban environmental management with particular reference to economic activities and housing achieving institutional, social and cultural sustainability managing urban development processes to reduce their environmental impacts, to improve the produced built environments and sustain improved practices. Drawing on case studies of individual cities (Lahore, Shanghai, Medellin, Florianopolis, Hofuf, Cairo) and countries (South Africa, Mozzambique, Iran) as well as comparative research and analytical procedures, the international group of contributors evaluate government policies and practices and make suggestions for improvements